Method and apparatus for selecting POI by brand icon

• US 20080154488A1
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Chen, Kenny, Iao, Mike, Silva, Andrew De
• Granted Patent: US 7,991,545 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers

Abstract

A method and apparatus for selecting a desired point of interest (“POI”) for a navigation system displays matching brand icons associated with POIs to assist the user in finding an intended POI. When the user inputs characters indicating a POI name or a POI type, or selecting a POI type from a list, the navigation system displays brand icons of the POI name or POI type. When the user selects one of the brand icons, the navigation system lists the POIs associated with the brand icons in the predetermined order such as distance from the current vehicle position. Since the number of brand icons are limited, and each brand icon has a readily recognizable image, the user can quickly find a desired POI by selecting a brand icon.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a point of interest (POI) for a navigation system, comprising the following steps of:

inputting one or more characters indicating a place name of an intended POI for a navigation system;

detecting whether place names specified by the characters input so far have brand icons;

displaying the detected brand icons of the place names specified by the input characters;

selecting one of the detected brand icons;

displaying a list of POI names having the selected brand icon; and

selecting a POI from the list of POI names.

2. A method for selecting a POI as defined in claim 1, further comprising a step of calculating a route to the selected POI and conducting a route guidance operation to the selected POI.

3. A method for selecting a POI as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of displaying the list of POI names having the selected brand icon includes a step of listing the POI names in an order of distance from a current position to the POIs.

4. A method for selecting a POI as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of displaying the list of POI names having the selected brand icon includes a step of listing the POI names in an alphabetical order of the POI names.

5. A method for selecting a POI as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of detecting whether the place names specified by the characters input have brand icons includes a step of listing POI names that match the input characters without displaying brand icons if the place names do not have brand icons.

6. A method for selecting a point of interest (POI) for a navigation system, comprising the following steps of:

inputting one or more characters indicating a place type of an intended POI or selecting a place type of the intended POI from a list on a screen of the navigation system;

detecting whether POIs of the place types specified by the user so far has brand icons;

displaying the detected brand icons of POIs belonging to the specified place types;

selecting a brand icon from a list of the detected brand icons;

displaying a list of POIs belonging to the place type of the selected brand icon; and

selecting a POI from the list of POIs.

7. A method for selecting a POI as defined in claim 6, further comprising a step of calculating a route to the selected POI and conducting a route guidance operation to the selected POI.

8. A method for selecting a POI as defined in claim 6, wherein said step of displaying the detected brand icons of the specified place type includes a step of listing the POIs in an order of distance from a current position to the POIs.

9. A method for selecting a POI as defined in claim 6, wherein said step of displaying the list of POIs of the specified place type includes a step of listing the POIs in an alphabetical order of the POI.

10. A method for selecting a POI as defined in claim 6, wherein said step of displaying the list of POIs of the specified place type includes a step of scrolling the screen of the navigation screen to see remaining brand icons.

11. An apparatus for selecting a point of interest (POI) for a navigation system, comprising:

means for inputting one or more characters indicating a place name of an intended POI for a navigation system;

means for detecting whether place names specified by the characters input so far have brand icons;

means for displaying the detected brand icons of the place names specified by the input characters;

means for selecting one of the detected brand icons;

means for displaying a list of POI names having the selected brand icon; and

means for selecting a POI from the list of POI names.

12. An apparatus for selecting a POI as defined in claim 11, further comprising means for calculating a route to the selected POI and conducting a route guidance operation to the selected POI.

13. An apparatus for selecting a POI as defined in claim 11, wherein said means for displaying the list of POI names having the selected brand icon includes means for listing the POI names in an order of distance from a current position to the POIs.

14. An apparatus for selecting a POI as defined in claim 11, wherein said means for displaying the list of POI names having the selected brand icon includes means for listing the POI names in an alphabetical order of the POI names.

15. An apparatus for selecting a POI as defined in claim 11, wherein said means for detecting whether the place names specified by the characters input have brand icons includes means for listing POI names that match the input characters without displaying brand icons if the place names do not have brand icons.

16. An apparatus for selecting a point of interest (POI) for a navigation system, comprising:

means for inputting one or more characters indicating a place type of an intended POI or selecting a place type of the intended POI from a list on a screen of the navigation system;

means for detecting whether POIs of the place types specified by the user so far has brand icons;

means for displaying the detected brand icons of POIs belonging to the specified place types;

means for selecting a brand icon from a list of the detected brand icons;

means for displaying a list of POIs belonging to the place type of the selected brand icon; and

means for selecting a POI from the list of POIs.

17. An apparatus for selecting a POI as defined in claim 16, further comprising means for calculating a route to the selected POI and conducting a route guidance operation to the selected POI.

18. An apparatus for selecting a POI as defined in claim 16, wherein said means for displaying the detected brand icons of the specified place type includes means for listing the POIs in an order of distance from a current position to the POIs.

19. An apparatus for selecting a POI as defined in claim 16, wherein said means for displaying the list of POIs of the specified place type includes means for listing the POIs in an alphabetical order of the POI.

20. A method for selecting a POI as defined in claim 16, wherein said means for displaying the list of POIs of the specified place type includes means for scrolling the screen of the navigation screen to see remaining brand icons.